Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

“Baka! What does this have to do with us? It’s all Yamamoto Ichiki’s doing. If he hadn’t exposed his tracks, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Nakajima Ichiro said directly.

The reason they are being attacked by the enemy is entirely due to Yamamoto Ichiki; no matter how much responsibility is investigated, it cannot be traced back to them.

"Besides, Division Commander Itagaki isn't our division commander. What right does he have to scold us? We've suffered heavy losses, and he should be thanking us!" Nakajima Ichiro added.

He didn't think they had done anything wrong. On the contrary, they were not only innocent, but also meritorious, since they were now tasked with holding back the enemy.

When the enemy realizes they can't take them down, they will definitely choose to retreat, and the enemy will have to hold them back and prevent them from escaping.

The 33rd Brigade deserves the greatest credit for annihilating this Northeast Army at such a high cost.

"The brigade commander is right." Upon hearing this, the Japanese regimental commander breathed a sigh of relief. He had been a little worried that they would be punished for killing so many soldiers at once, but now it seemed that he didn't need to worry about it at all.

"Continue to command the battle; the situation will improve by dawn," Nakajima Ichiro ordered.

He was too lazy to think about anything else right now. The most important thing was to hold out until dawn. Only in this way could their troops' combat effectiveness be brought into play.

"Hey!" The Japanese regimental commander crouched down and left.

.........

On the mountain, Xu Qingfeng and his men were also keeping a close eye on the battlefield. Although the Japanese would fire a shot and then retreat, they still had a chance to inflict casualties on the Japanese.

“I have a good idea,” Li Yunlong suddenly said.

"What method?!" Xu Qingfeng asked.

"Dig the trenches on the Japanese side, at least fifty meters closer! That way, when we fight tomorrow, we can quickly shorten the distance, charge into the Japanese positions, and wipe them out!" Li Yunlong said.

Now is the perfect time to start digging. By daybreak, the Japanese won't be able to stop us. In short, when the decisive battle begins, they will cover the Japanese positions with firepower, allowing other soldiers to rush towards the Japanese and engage in hand-to-hand combat, ending the battle more quickly.

"Brother Yunlong, your idea is great! I think it's a good idea. Anyway, the Japanese devils don't dare to show their faces now, so we don't need that many soldiers. It's good to have them dig trenches." Chu Yunfei, who was standing next to him, immediately agreed.

"Then let's get started." Xu Qingfeng nodded, indicating his agreement to the plan.

Li Yunlong didn't waste any time and immediately sent Zhao Gang to relay the order. Chu Yunfei also left and returned to the 358th Regiment's position, as he also needed to get his soldiers moving.

"Commander, I didn't expect you to be so cautious. I thought you would just take out a walkie-talkie and contact them directly," Xu Qingfeng said with a smile.

"Of course, I'm not stupid. If Chu Yunfei finds out about this, the news will spread and the Japanese will definitely find out too," Li Yunlong replied. The walkie-talkie issue still couldn't be known by anyone else.

“Actually, it’s fine to take it out. If Chu Yunfei and the others ask, just say that the communication range is not as good as the Japanese walkie-talkies,” Xu Qingfeng said.

Anyway, they won't give this thing to Chu Yunfei, and Chu Yunfei has no way to test how far the walkie-talkie can communicate.

"By the way, how's the situation with Li Jin?! Have the Japanese secret troops been mobilized?!" Li Yunlong asked.

They did all this to get the Japanese secret troops to leave the command post, so that Li Jin could take action against both the command post and the Japanese secret troops at the same time!

"Yes, the Japanese secret force left the command post shortly after the 33rd Brigade was attacked, and they're on their way here now." Xu Qingfeng nodded. Li Jin had sent him a telegram informing him of the situation.

"That's good. Our operation wasn't a complete waste." Li Yunlong smiled after hearing this. As long as they could take down the Japanese command post, everything would be much easier.

.........

Taiyuan, Japanese military camp, operations room.

"Division Commander, we've received a telegram from the 33rd Brigade." A Japanese telegraph operator rushed in.

"What?! So many people have died in just a few hours?!" Seishiro Itagaki was shocked after reading the telegram!

"How many casualties did they suffer?!" asked the Japanese brigade commander beside him. Were the 33rd Brigade's casualties really that they had frightened the division?

"They suffered six or seven thousand casualties! Now they only have a little over six thousand left." Seishiro Itagaki stated the situation with a serious expression.

"What?! How is this possible?!" The Japanese brigade commander was also shocked upon hearing this.

"This is a brigade of a Class A division, how could there be such heavy casualties?!" The Japanese brigade commander continued, still somewhat incredulous, feeling that it was impossible.

"Nothing is impossible. From the initial attack to the subsequent ambush, everything was actually within the enemy's expectations."

"If it were an ordinary army, they would probably have been wiped out in the first enemy attack, and wouldn't have even made it into the enemy's ambush," Itagaki Seishiro replied.

Upon closer examination, the current casualties of the 33rd Brigade are indeed within acceptable limits.

"Division Commander, they only have this many men left. How are they going to deal with the enemy? Are they sure they can hold out for half a day with so few men?!" The Japanese brigade commander couldn't help but have some doubts.

So many people have died in just a few hours, what if they all die soon?

"It should be fine. The reason they've suffered such heavy casualties is mainly because the enemy excels at night fighting, while the 33rd Brigade isn't as formidable."

"As long as they can hold out until dawn, they still have a chance." Seishiro Itahira began to analyze.

"Moreover, their positions have been fortified, making it difficult for enemy artillery fire to have a significant effect. As a result, they can hold out for most of the day without being completely wiped out," Itagaki Seishiro continued.

If the 33rd Brigade's positions cannot be fortified, then trouble could easily arise. But for now, the 33rd Brigade can easily hold out for half a day.

"In comparison, I'm wondering if the 33rd Brigade would dare to pursue and hold them back if the enemy retreats!" Itagaki Seishiro said, frowning.

If the 33rd Brigade chickens out and doesn't dare to hold off the enemy, the enemy might escape, and all the efforts of the 33rd Brigade would be in vain.

"Division Commander, the 33rd Brigade will definitely dare to pursue them, otherwise they'll just be the ones getting beaten up, and they'll lose all face," the Japanese brigade commander said confidently.

The 33rd Brigade certainly still has some pride. If the enemy were to break through like this, not only would they look down on them, but even Tani Hisao would probably be cursing them out.

"Just to be on the safe side, let's send a telegram to Division Commander Tani Hisao and have him give orders to the 33rd Brigade," Itagaki Seishiro said after thinking for a moment.

This matter cannot be judged too absolutely; whether or not this Northeast Army can be annihilated depends on this outcome.

"Yes, sir!" The Japanese brigade commander nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he stopped and looked at Itagaki Seishiro with a hesitant gaze, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. "Just say what you have to say," Itagaki Seishiro said.

"The 33rd Brigade suffered such heavy losses, won't they blame us?! What if Mr. Nakajima comes to question us?!" The Japanese brigade commander explained the situation.

As soon as he said that, Seishiro Itagami fell silent.

"This has nothing to do with us. The plan was devised by Yamamoto Ichiki. We were just cooperating with him. No matter how much you blame us, it's impossible to blame us!" Itagaki Seishiro said with a serious expression.

The 33rd Brigade suffered heavy losses in the attack, and no matter how you look at it, it was all Yamamoto Ichiki's fault. If Yamamoto Ichiki hadn't exposed his whereabouts, why would the enemy have changed their target? Therefore, Yamamoto Ichiki should be held responsible.

"The division commander is right, then there's nothing more for us to do." Only then did the Japanese brigade commander turn and leave.

.........

Time passed by, and soon it was around 6:30 in the morning.

Blind Cheng woke up from his sleep. Although he could hear explosions from time to time while sleeping, he knew very well that they were coming from the Japanese side.

"Commander, you're awake. Have something to eat first." Political Commissar He handed a can of beef to Blind Cheng.

"How's the situation on the Japanese side?!" Blind Cheng yawned and asked.

"After our bombing raids, the Japanese soldiers haven't slept well and their morale has dropped considerably. Now it's up to them to decide what to do next: continue the pursuit or retreat," Political Commissar He responded.

They fired shots at the Japanese every now and then last night, so the Japanese soldiers in the camp basically didn't get a good rest.

"Yes, have someone keep an eye on the Japanese and see what they're up to." Blind Cheng nodded in satisfaction. He took the can of food, opened it, and started eating.

"Speaking of which, we also killed quite a few Japanese soldiers. Last night, the Japanese cremated the dead soldiers right away. I reckon they're really going to leave today," Political Commissar He said.

"That would be perfect. In short, just keep harassing the Japanese for the next two days and don't give them a chance to rest," Blind Cheng replied.

He didn't want to fight a Japanese unit at its peak combat strength, as that would result in heavy casualties.

"Understood!" Political Commissar He nodded.

Meanwhile, at the Japanese camp, Japanese soldiers began to cook their meals, and the Japanese brigade commander, sporting dark circles under his eyes, emerged from his tent.

"Good morning, brigade commander." The Japanese regimental commander came over to greet him.

"Damn it, how disgusting are these enemies, attacking us one after another!" The Japanese brigade commander couldn't help but curse.

He was truly exasperated last night. He had barely lain down when the enemy opened fire on them, giving them almost no time to rest!

Or rather, they don't have enough continuous rest time.

"They can't beat us head-on, so they can only resort to these underhanded tricks. Brigade Commander, after we finish eating, shall we head straight out of the mountains?!" the Japanese regimental commander said.

"What else can we do?! Continue chasing them?! What's the point then?" the Japanese brigade commander said irritably.

He didn't want to stay in the mountains any longer; it was too tiring, especially being attacked by the enemy at night. If he continued the pursuit, the enemy would definitely keep doing it.

We can't fight them, and we'll be worn down by the enemy sooner or later. It's better to leave as soon as possible.

"Yes, sir!" The Japanese regimental commander nodded. The reason he asked that question was because he thought the brigade commander would be angry and continue to pursue the enemy. Now it seemed that he was overthinking it.

After a quick breakfast, the Japanese soldiers set off, this time heading towards the foot of the mountain.

In contrast, the puppet troops didn't suffer as much; last night, the enemy's artillery fire was all aimed at the Japanese!

Upon witnessing this scene, the scouts of the 772nd Regiment immediately took out their walkie-talkies, contacted Blind Cheng, and informed him of the situation.

"Keep an eye on the Japanese, and remember, don't get too close!" Blind Cheng ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the soldier replied.

.........

"If that's how the regimental commander sees it, we'll be able to wipe out this Japanese regiment very soon!" Political Commissar He was also quite pleased.

If it succeeds, it will be a great achievement. The key is that there is a Japanese brigade commander among them. If we kill him or capture him, it will be a great honor.

"Don't rush, the 77th Regiment hasn't arrived yet. We'll wait until they get here!" Blind Cheng said calmly, as if he didn't care much about the matter.

.........

As dawn broke, Xu Qingfeng and his men took a short rest, letting the soldiers eat first, since they had been fighting all night and were hungry!

Furthermore, the machine gun barrel also needs to be cooled down to avoid affecting subsequent operations.

As for the Japanese soldiers of the 33rd Brigade, they did not take the opportunity to launch an attack. Instead, they hurriedly ate, mainly because they were worried that launching an attack might lead to a trap, resulting in countless casualties.

"Brigade Commander, we've finally made it to dawn. It's been a long and difficult journey." The Japanese regimental commander approached Nakajima Ichiro and said with a sigh.

The night passed incredibly slowly, with soldiers falling every minute and every second.

"Sigh... Yes, now that it's dawn, we can launch a counterattack after the soldiers have finished eating. Otherwise, the enemy will really think that we only have the strength we had last night!" Nakajima Ichiro sighed, then said with a fierce expression.

He felt extremely ashamed when he recalled how, in order to reduce casualties last night, he had to order his soldiers to fire without looking, a cowardly act of greed.

But in order to save more soldiers and allow them to hold out longer, he had no other choice but to do this. If any of his colleagues dared to laugh at him, then let them try fighting this Northeast Army. Then they would know that his approach was the right one.

"Don't worry, brigade commander. The soldiers are also holding back their anger, just waiting to unleash it on the enemy!" the Japanese regimental commander quickly said.

"Alright! Let's show this Northeast Army just how formidable a Class A division really is!" Nakajima Ichiro nodded and said. (End of Chapter)